Harmony Assistant

About the Download.com Installer

The Download.com Installer securely delivers software from Download.com's servers to your computer. During this process, the Download.com Installer may offer other free applications provided by our partners. All offers are optional: You are not required to install any additional applications to receive the software you selected.
Learn more

Publisher's Description

Harmony Assistant is a complete arranger, score editor, and music composition program. It features chord grids, drum patterns, and accompaniment sequences that are automatically harmonized with your melody. You also can record your own sounds and use them as instruments in your tunes. In addition, Harmony Assistant calculates tablature for any fretted instrument or harmonica and displays the chord diagrams. You can even associate lyrics with a tune, and let the music play in karaoke mode.

What's new in this version:

Version 9.6.3f fixed crash in MIDI import and problem to grab margin control handles after the first page.

Does most things that more expensive software does - much cheaper than Sibelius

Cons

Doesn't (I don't think) save in Sibelius-friendly format.

Summary

We bought this when my daughter was studying music at school because we couldn't afford Sibelius. She found it really good, although a littly bit "clunky" compared to Sibelius. It's major problem was that it couldn't save items in Sibelius-friendly formats, I don't think. Haven't used it for a while now.

No time for writing reviews. I'll just tell you that Ive been looking for music software of this caliber for many years that wasn't expensive and was easy to learn to use. This is it and you can even do useful work with the non-expiring demo version.

Cons

PROS (cont'd.) Right now I'm learning my part for The Messiah, singing along with their virtual tenor (who never misses a note or a beat) and virtual chorus and symphony orchestra and it makes it SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO easy.

Summary

You can get the Messiah files that run only on this software at Savedsounds.com.Maybe I will write a more extensive review after I've used this program a little longer. I've only been using it for a day. I am an instrumentalist as well as studying to sing the Messiah (I play multi-style banjo) so I'll probably have a lot more to say about this program in a week or so.

But I wll say this: The demo is non-expiring and free. You can do useful work with just that. So, if you have an interest in really high-level music software (you know, high level like Sibelius but without the high price) TRY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An extremely powerful tool that can be used for music documentation and printing, but so so so much more. My goodness, if Mozart had this tool, he would have loved it. Takes a day or too to work through the free included tutorials, but by the time you finish them, you are ready to go.

Very fairly priced for the power provided!

This program is created by programmers in France. While their English documentation has minor grammatical anomolies, it is easily understandable. Enough so to get the gist of what they are trying to explain.

This program makes it very easy to compose music of all types. It also comes with Virtual Singer (for an extra $20), an add-on that is worth its weight in gold when composing vocal music, as the composer can get a sense of how the composition sounds. The program is very flexible, and with a little experimentation, capable of producing scores of publication quality. One can generate mp3s and other formats with ease for sharing with collaborators. The shareware version (Melody Assistant) allows collaborators to open, listen to, and revise, scores without paying for the full version, which is essentially the same as the shareware version with additional engraving features. However, the full version is so nicely priced, there really isn't much reason not to purchase it if you're serious about composition. Support via the online forum, documentation, and regular updates, is great. What a great program for the money. What a great program, period.

Cons

For the money, I can't offer any cons. I have tried versions of the big two in music notation (who I won't name), and I haven't found reason to pay the extra $$ for them. I suppose one "con" is that the program is so flexible and has so many features that it does take some playing with to configure the way you want it and learn the features. However, once used to it, you won't have any reason to turn to the big boys (the two nameless standards), as the program is likely to do everything you need to do. Supporters of the big 2 might say the engraving isn't as good as that of the big two. Really? The engraving is very very flexible. Anyone disagree?

E-mail This Review

Thank You, !

Report Offensive Content

If you believe this comment is offensive or violates the CNET's Site Terms of Use, you can report it below (this will not automatically remove the comment). Once reported, our staff will be notified and the comment will be reviewed.